It is that time of the year. You are harvesting left, right and center, the fruits of your labors are arriving, you have baskets and boxes of veggies in your kitchen. There is so much that there is no way you can eat it all. So, how do you catch and store your abundance. Read on to learn how to make great preserves with your summer abundance.
Put your wonderful summer bonanza into jars! It is easy, fun and allows you to enjoy your veggies for months. There is nothing like opening one of your summer preserves in the winter months and enjoy veggies that you have grown yourself from seeds or starts. It can also save you money and space in the fridge or freezer! I feel that the skill of being able to preserve what you grow is key a key part of self-sufficiency, as far as veggies go.
Below are two tried and tested recipes:
Eggplants ‘A La Argentina’ Preserve
This is a homemade recipe from Tio Tito (our family master chef). Very tasty!
1. Peel the eggplants, cut them into 1 cm thick disks. Place them in a bowl and add lots of salt. Mix them with your hands making sure they are all covered nicely. This will make them sweat so that they stay firm. Leave them in a colander for about 2 hours without covering.
2. Wash the eggplants thoroughly to remove all the salt.
3. Sterilize the jars you will use by boiling them in a large saucepan for 15 minutes; the jars should be open and the lids should also be in the boiling water. Afterwards place them on a clean cloth to dry and avoid touching the inside with your hands to keep them sterile.
4. Boil the eggplants in a pot with 1 part vinegar 2 parts water for 3 – 4 minutes.
5. In a separate bowl, mix ‘aji molido’ (mild chili flakes) with olive oil and some herbs (We used thyme, basil, garlic and oregano, but you can use what you have or what you like). Calculate for 1 table spoon of ‘aji molido’ per jar.
6. Fill the sterilized jars with the eggplants and the oil mix layer by layer. Fill them to the top, squeezing them in firmly. Close the jar tightly.
7. Place the jars into a large saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the water reaches the lid (it is OK if it covers it completely too, but water should never go below the lip of the lid). Let them boil for 10-15 minutes.
8. Take the jars out of the water, dry them with a tea towel and place them upside down on a surface. Keep them like this for a few hours or ideally overnight. Now they should be sealed so check that there is no sign of leaking (no water or liquid coming out). If there is some sort of leaking, then keep that jar in the fridge and use within a couple of days. For the pots that are OK, you can keep them for months in a dry, dark place. Enjoy!!
9. Add stickers on the lids labeling what it is and the date. This can prove to be useful latter, especially if you make several batches over the summer or give away some of your preserves as gifts.
Here is a step by step slide show of the above recipe.
Below are two tried and tested recipes:
Eggplants ‘A La Argentina’ Preserve
This is a homemade recipe from Tio Tito (our family master chef). Very tasty!
1. Peel the eggplants, cut them into 1 cm thick disks. Place them in a bowl and add lots of salt. Mix them with your hands making sure they are all covered nicely. This will make them sweat so that they stay firm. Leave them in a colander for about 2 hours without covering.
2. Wash the eggplants thoroughly to remove all the salt.
3. Sterilize the jars you will use by boiling them in a large saucepan for 15 minutes; the jars should be open and the lids should also be in the boiling water. Afterwards place them on a clean cloth to dry and avoid touching the inside with your hands to keep them sterile.
4. Boil the eggplants in a pot with 1 part vinegar 2 parts water for 3 – 4 minutes.
5. In a separate bowl, mix ‘aji molido’ (mild chili flakes) with olive oil and some herbs (We used thyme, basil, garlic and oregano, but you can use what you have or what you like). Calculate for 1 table spoon of ‘aji molido’ per jar.
6. Fill the sterilized jars with the eggplants and the oil mix layer by layer. Fill them to the top, squeezing them in firmly. Close the jar tightly.
7. Place the jars into a large saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the water reaches the lid (it is OK if it covers it completely too, but water should never go below the lip of the lid). Let them boil for 10-15 minutes.
8. Take the jars out of the water, dry them with a tea towel and place them upside down on a surface. Keep them like this for a few hours or ideally overnight. Now they should be sealed so check that there is no sign of leaking (no water or liquid coming out). If there is some sort of leaking, then keep that jar in the fridge and use within a couple of days. For the pots that are OK, you can keep them for months in a dry, dark place. Enjoy!!
9. Add stickers on the lids labeling what it is and the date. This can prove to be useful latter, especially if you make several batches over the summer or give away some of your preserves as gifts.
Here is a step by step slide show of the above recipe.
Tomato preserve
If you live in the Mediterranean region, you might be already wondering how many tomatoes you can eat a day. Why not put some of these treasures into jars for the winter months. Here is how you can do it:
1. Sterilize the jars that you will use by boiling them in a large saucepan for 15 minutes; the jars should be open and the lid should also go into the boiling water. Afterwards place them on a clean cloth to dry and avoid touching the inside to keep them sterile.
2. Clean the ripe tomatoes and make a very thin cross (4 millimeters approx.) at the opposite side of the stem (this will help peeling them later). Then put them in boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes. Take them out and let them cool. Once cool, peel them with your hands (the skin will come out very easily). Remove the hard part around the stem.
3. Fill the sterilized jars with the tomatoes flesh, gently press them in so the jars are full to the top. Tightly close the full jars.
4. Place the jars in a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the water covers the lid (The water should never go below the start of the lid). Let them boil for 10-15 minutes.
5. Take the jars out of the water, dry them with a tea towel and place them upside down on a surface. Keep them like this for a few hours or ideally overnight. Now they should be sealed so check that there is no sign of leaking (no water or liquid coming out). If there is some sort of leaking, then keep that jar in the fridge and use within a couple of days. For the pots that are OK, you can keep them for months in a dry, dark place.
6. Add stickers on the lids labeling what it is and the date. This can prove to be useful latter, especially if you make several batches over the summer or give away some of your preserves as gifts.
If you live in the Mediterranean region, you might be already wondering how many tomatoes you can eat a day. Why not put some of these treasures into jars for the winter months. Here is how you can do it:
1. Sterilize the jars that you will use by boiling them in a large saucepan for 15 minutes; the jars should be open and the lid should also go into the boiling water. Afterwards place them on a clean cloth to dry and avoid touching the inside to keep them sterile.
2. Clean the ripe tomatoes and make a very thin cross (4 millimeters approx.) at the opposite side of the stem (this will help peeling them later). Then put them in boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes. Take them out and let them cool. Once cool, peel them with your hands (the skin will come out very easily). Remove the hard part around the stem.
3. Fill the sterilized jars with the tomatoes flesh, gently press them in so the jars are full to the top. Tightly close the full jars.
4. Place the jars in a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure the water covers the lid (The water should never go below the start of the lid). Let them boil for 10-15 minutes.
5. Take the jars out of the water, dry them with a tea towel and place them upside down on a surface. Keep them like this for a few hours or ideally overnight. Now they should be sealed so check that there is no sign of leaking (no water or liquid coming out). If there is some sort of leaking, then keep that jar in the fridge and use within a couple of days. For the pots that are OK, you can keep them for months in a dry, dark place.
6. Add stickers on the lids labeling what it is and the date. This can prove to be useful latter, especially if you make several batches over the summer or give away some of your preserves as gifts.
Even if you are not growing your own veggies or don't produce enough to make preserves, it is very likely that there will be opportunities to buy lots at bargain prices, as there is often a glut on the market at this time of year. So, this is a start to saving the nutrition and taste of the summer's abundance, it's good fun and tasty self-sufficiency.
Matt Prosser 14.07.2016
Matt Prosser 14.07.2016
